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Welterweight
1. Belal Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) | UFC [1]
Muhammad’s patience paid off, as his 10-fight, four-and-a-half-year unbeaten streak culminated in a chance to challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 304. Whereas their first meeting had been trending in favor of Edwards before ending due to an untimely eye poke, in the rematch Muhammad was the superior fighter in the cage from start to finish. Muhammad was slated to make his first title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, but a foot infection forced him to withdraw from that booking.2. Leon Edwards (22-4, 1 NC) | UFC [2]
Given the chance to defend his UFC welterweight title in front of an arena packed with his countrymen, Edwards came up short, as he was soundly outwrestled and outstruck by Belal Muhammad over five rounds in the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester, England. With the unanimous decision loss, Edwards sees his division-leading 13-fight unbeaten streak come to an end. While there may not be much clamor for an immediate rematch, the 32-year-old does not figure to fall far from the title picture, and with undefeated young guns such as Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry scaling the ladder behind him, there should be no shortage of chances to prove he is still among the top fighters in the sport.3. Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) | UFC [3]
Rakhmonov put on yet another dominant performance at UFC 296, smothering and suffocating Stephen Thompson for most of two rounds before closing things out with a rear-naked choke late in the second. The throttling of “Wonderboy” marks the 18th finish in as many outings for the man from Kazakhstan, and while the soft-spoken killer has been slow to demand a title shot, he pointed out his résumé in the wake of his most recent win. Rakhmonov was scheduled to get his wish against Belal Muhammad at UFC 310 before the champion withdrew from the event due to an infection in his foot. “Nomad” will now face Ian Garry in the evening’s co-main event.4. Ramazan Kuramagomedov (13-0) Bellator [4]
Kuramagomedov made a statement at Bellator Champions Series Dublin, banking three rounds on the scorecards and then holding on for a unanimous decision triumph over Jason Jackson in the evening’s main event at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland on June 22. By ending Jackson’s eight-fight winning streak, the Dagestani captured welterweight gold at the age of 27. The American Top Team product was able to blend striking and wrestling well enough to keep his opponent off balance for 15 minutes, though his late fade could be a concern in future title defenses.5. Jason Jackson (18-5) | Bellator [5]
It was a case of too little, too late for Jackson at Bellator Champions Series Dublin. After struggling through the first three rounds against Ramazan Kuramagomedov, “The Ass Kicking Machine” resorted to his wrestling over the final 10 minutes. While that allowed him to make the fight much close, his repeated choke attempts were unsuccessful against a defensively sound opponent. In addition to relinquishing the Bellator welterweight strap, Jackson sees an eight-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.6. Jack Della Maddalena (17-2) | UFC [6]
Down two rounds on the scorecards, Della Maddalena showed the appropriate sense of urgency in the third round of his fight against Gilbert Burns at UFC 299, as he rallied for a late technical knockout victory. Maddalena has won seven straight in UFC competition — and 17 in a row overall.7. Sean Brady (17-1) UFC [7]
Brady took another significant step toward welterweight contention with a five-round verdict over former title challenger Gilbert Burns in the UFC Fight Night 242 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Sept. 7. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder is 7-1 in UFC competition, with his lone loss coming at the hands of current champ Belal Muhammad in October 2022.8. Yaroslav Amosov (27-1) | Bellator [8]
Heading into the Bellator 301 main event, Amosov looked like one of the California-based promotion’s most dominant champions. That all changed against Jason Jackson, as the Ukraine native struggled to implement his wrestling and was outgunned on the feet in a third-round TKO defeat. At just 30 years old, “Dynamo” should have plenty of time to bounce back from what was one of the more surprising results of 2023.9. Ian Garry (15-0) UFC [9]
While it wasn’t a thrilling performance, Garry displayed a high fight IQ by using his grappling to outpoint Michael Page at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas. The Irishman known as “The Future” has racked up eight consecutive triumphs within the promotion, though recent outings have done little to raise his profile. Still, if he continues to win, it will be hard to deny Garry his place among the division’s elite. Garry was scheduled to headline UFC Tampa opposite Joaquin Buckley, but when Belal Muhammad withdrew from a title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, the Chute Boxe Diego Lima representative was tabbed as his replacement.10. Gilbert Burns (22-8) UFC [10]
Burns dropped his third consecutive outing in the UFC Fight Night 242 main event, as he lost a unanimous decision to Sean Brady on Sept. 7. “Durinho” has fallen to only top-flight competition during his current skid — also losing to Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena — but at 38 years old, the Brazilian’s days as a top contender at 170 pounds may be in the rearview mirror.Other Contenders: Shamil Musaev, Magomed Umalatov, Magomed Magomedkerimov, Joaquin Buckley, Michael Morales.
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